Questions from a student living in Tokyo... how do I plan my trip?

[StudyAbroad 0]

Greetings!

 

I'm an international student from Colorado currently studying at Waseda University. My winter break begins on December 23rd, and I've been dying to get up to the mountains! I'm looking for some help planning a short, cost-efficient snowboarding trip to a resort somewhere reasonably close to Tokyo. Here is my situation/my questions:

 

- I live in Tairamachi, a small town outside of Shibuya. I'm hoping to ski for two or three days. Is there any way that I'd be able to get to a resort and back to my house in a single day so as to defray the cost of finding a hotel/onsen? (I'm willing to do a couple of late nights/early mornings for some extended snowboarding time.) I'm not eligible to drive a car, so I'll have to rely on the train/bus system to get everywhere. I don't have any of my gear here, either, so I'll be needing to rent everything. Is it generally easiest/cheapest to rent from the resorts themselves? I'd prefer to go close to Tokyo so I don't have to rent a room, but if the best option is far away, I'll need some recommendations for cheap accomodations too.

 

I obviously have no idea what I'm doing here, but was hoping that I'd be able to get some good advice from this forum. Any suggestions for planning a trip would be greatly appreciated! Where should I go?! How should I get there?!

 

Thanks!

[gamera 0]

Hi StudyAbroad

 

Maybe you need to know what ski slopes are closer to you first and how to get there. Maybe some around Echigo-Yuzawa work for your 1 day trip.

 

http://www.snowjapan.com/e/travel/index.html

 

If you need to rent your gears, I would say you had better rent some at the ski slope you visit. Actually it may be cheaper for you to rent them in Tokyo but what if they don't fit when you wear them at the date even if they fit when you try them at the rental shop in Tokyo? - This actually happens a lot.

While you rent everything at a rental shop around the ski slope, you can choose what fit you at that date but if the gears you rent in a shop in Tokyo in advance, I don't think you can ask them to change them at that day because you are far away from them.

 

Good luck.

[muikabochi 208]

The train there and back each day will easily cost you more than staying in a place for a few nights.

 

I'd get a train up to Nagano and go to either Nozawa or Hakuba and spend 2 nights. Thats probably your cheapest

[number9 0]

The cheapest day trips are the bus packages. The overnight one will get you to the resort early early morning (with little sleep or comfort) for a full day of (probably tired and sleepy) riding. The ones that leave in the morning of the day apparently get trapped in highway traffic (but you're a student, so maybe it's ok on a weekday). To nearby resorts surrounding Tokyo, these bus packages including one day lift ticket are typically 6-8000 (some go up to 10000?) yen (before rentals) which is a good deal if you're just trying to be cheap. Train packages (with lift ticket) generally start at 10000 yen.

[Davo 1]

Simple. Get the cheapest overnight return bus ticket to Hakuba. Stay at one of the many backpackers, cook your own food and pack a lunch up to the mtn. Don't rent any gear if you can avoid it. Drink chu hai or whatever instead of boozing at bars.

 

A really cheap accomodation option in Hakuba is staying at Goryu for 1,000 yen, or so I've heard. That may be a bit boring though. The longer you stay the cheaper it should be as transport is a big cost factor.